Transcriber: Suravi Kuanr Reviewer: Sebastian Betti
Hi, I’m Sisi Gonzalez, the director of client services
for Creative Management Agency.
I travel around the country to music and art festivals,
working with the biggest names in entertainment while working in areas
related to content creation, brand integration and investment management.
Wait, I need to get comfortable with you guys really quickly. Hold on.
I’m Seomara Gonzalez,
the director of client services for creative management agency
and this is me.
The first version you met on stage was
the version that I’ve conditioned myself to become, a professional settings,
especially when my colleagues are predominantly white.
It’s the one that makes me feel like I’m playing a character
in the worst way possible,
because that’s really the only way I can make a decent living
is the one that most of us expect when we hear the word professional.
Now, let me ask you this.
What version are you going to hire, Sisi or Seomara?
According to a study done by researchers at Northwestern University,
Harvard and the Institute for Social Research
looked at every available field experiment
on hiring discrimination from 1989 through 2015.
And yet there was no change anti-Black racism in hiring since.
Well, yeah, only Latino has somewhat these critics.
Chances are a majority of you in this room would have only hired
the first version of me. But why is that?
It’s me when I code switch to white professional standards
and it’s me when I talk and look like this.
QB’s International Assessments of Development Consultancy conducted
a survey in 2016 and found that 84 percent of employers strongly focused
on cultural fit, which was defined by values, visions, norms,
working language symbols, belief systems and habits of staff,
along with their agreements of a set of acceptable behaviors.
Their study of 55 large organizations found that 9 in 10 rejected candidates
due to the fact that they didn’t have cultural fit,
even if they possess the necessary skillset for the role.
Now there's even data from
the implicit association that shows more people in the United States
have a pro-white preference.
This is supported by a study published by researchers at Arizona University.
That concluded that white men
with a criminal record had better responses to job applications
than black men with no criminal record.
Why am I on stage telling
a bunch of stage strangers about these studies?
Because this has affected me in my life.
I’ve been told that the way of talking is too aggressive
when I’m just talking and expressing my ideas
that my braided hairstyles
and curly hair aren't professional enough.
Even though braids are part of my culture and the curls,
I cannot control the way it comes out of my head.
That my earrings and Cuban links aren’t appropriate enough for the workplace.
But why not?
I’ve been qualified for positions,
but probably not hired because of the way I look and talk.
But the way I look and talk is just so much a part of who I am
and the things I’ve learned along the way.
So if I don’t emulate whiteness, do I no longer know these skills?
No, many employers like to boost, like to hype up
the fact that the commitment to diversity.
But when somebody like me shows up, they’re not interested.
It's like almost as if they want employees with different skin tones
and colors, but they want us to act the same and behave the same
and forget the fact that we all come from different cultures
and we go through different experiences,
and that’s why we show up the way we show up into life.
And sometimes we focus on toning ourselves down
to limit our authentic self-expression and to fit the mold, you know?
But our creativity often suffers, which can make our job performance suboptimal,
not much suboptimal, where current professional standards,
but suboptimal to what it could be if we showed up as our true,
authentic selves with the freedom to bring every part of ourselves.
Think about all the fresh talent
and perspectives many employers are likely missing out on because
the rock star employees are walking and talking and looking like me.
If we don't change what we're looking for,
we’ll never find who are we looking for,
and we’ll never know a stranger in gold hoops
what they have to bring to the table
if we don’t let them pull up a chair.
The company that I work for since a few years ago --
I would never have expected where I’d be today. I come from humble beginnings.
I grew up in the hood living where my mother’s best friend until 14 years.
After that, I found out that that wasn’t my biological father.
I didn't know who I truly was as a person.
I didn't know why nobody told me sooner.
Everything felt so fabricated and planned. I was bullied in school.
I got into a car accident. I almost died, and I had body issues.
You know, I had struggled with body image issues.
It took me a lot of time and self-exploration to accept myself
for who I really am today.
But I’m alive today to tell you.
That's why it means so much to me.
That’s why it means so much to me to show up today as my true authentic self
no matter what situation I’m in.
The CEO of the company I currently work for
welcomed me to pull up that chair.
He encourages me every day to bring my true self.
I don't spend my time, nor my energy focus on how to be something I'm not,
especially if it’s for a check.
I'm valued as a professional, my ideas,
my work ethic and approach to working for our clients are valued.
I'm valued as a professional.
Me, Seomara Gonzalez, just out here doing me while getting the work done.
And this is what a professional looks like,
and now I urge you guys to reconsider what it looks like for you.